Dispensing machine



Sept. 17, 1940.

B. D. KNOX DISPENSING MACHINE Filed April 50, 1958 F'g 'l..

4 Shee'ts-Sheet l Sept. 17, 1940. B. D. KNOX 2,215,004

DlsPENsING MACHINE 4 Filed April .'50, 1958 4 She-ets-Sheel 2 Sept. 17, 1940. B. D. KNOX 2,215,004

DISPENSING MACHINE n Filed April 30, 1938 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 Sept. 17, 1940. B. D. KNox 2,215,004

DISPENSING MACHINE Filed April 30, 1938 '4 Sheets-Sheet 4 lll raf

l /af Pnenredusept. 17, 1.940

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 10 Claims.

This invention relates to a coin controlled dispensing or registering machine.

An object of the invention is to provide a machine for dispensing slips, coupons or contracts which willl require registration of the re-- cipient for identification before the operation of the device can be completed; and to provide'in such a device operating mechanism which is simple in construction and positive in operation.

Specic objects will be apparent from the following detail description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings.

Another object of the invention is to provide coin controlled apparatus for a dispensing or registering machine'to cover and uncover a window, 4which provides access for registration or operation.

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a device embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a vertical section (with the casing removed) showing paper roll feed mechanism and ribbon roll mechanism;

v Fig. 3 is a vertical section (with the casing removed) showing in particular latch and release mechanism; Fig. 4 is a side elevation partly in section with the casing removed showing inter alia stamping mechanism;

Fig. 5 is a plan view of the front portion of the machine, with the casing in section; and

Figs. 6, 'I and 8 show details of ribbon rewind mechanism.

The machine, illustrated in the drawings and embodying the invention, has a main operating shaft I, to which is attacheda hand lever 2. A `latching disc 3 has a lug 4 engaged by a pawl '5 at the end of a cycle of operation, as best shown in Fig. 3. The pawl 5 is operable to unlatch the mechanism by a coin controlled device, including a slide 6, operatively connected to a push rod 1, which is secured at its outer end to a lever 8, which lever is connected to the pawl 5 by a link 9. A plate I0 is mounted to be moved back and forthto cover and uncover openings II and I2 in an apron I3 which forms apart of the casing of the machine. A lever I4 at each side of the machine is connected at its upper end to the plate I0 and at its lower end to a crank I5 secured to the operating shaft I. The arrangement is such 50 that a counter-clockwise (Figs. 3 and 4) movement of the shaft I by the handle 2 moves thel 55 during the' aforementioned counter-clockwise (Cil 101-96) movement of the shaft I, indicates a plunger I6 mounted in a guide I1 and connected by a link I8 to a bell crank lever I9. The bell crank lever I9 has a hook 20 engageable by a hook 2l on the end of a link 22, which is pivotally connected to a crank 23 secured to the shaft I. A spring 24 is interposed 'between the top of the guide I1 and a shoulder 25 near the top of the plunger. The arrangement is such that during the aforementioned counter-clockwise movement of the shaft I the link 22 is moved to the left, Fig. fl, rotating the bell-crank lever I9 also in a counter-clockwise direction to a point where the hook 2I is disengaged from the hook 20 permitting the spring 24 to move the plunger I6 upwardly with a strong and uniform force. I

The cam 3 has a notch 30 adapted to receive a tooth 3I on the inner end of a pawl or lever 32, which is connected at its outer end to a spring pressed plunger 33. Thus, when the shaft I has been moved in a counter-clockwise direction from the position shown in Fig. 3 the notch 30 will register with the tooth 3| and the spring pressed plunger will urge the tooth into the notch, thus latching the shaft I against clockwise movement, such being necessary for further operation of the machine.

The plunger 33 has a head 34 positioned beneath the opening I2 and beneath the edge of a strip of paper 35 which is sensitized to receive a ngerprint. In order to move the tooth 3l from the notch 30, the operator must press the head 34, through the opening I2, thereby registering his fingerprint upon the sensitized paper 35.

The paper 35 is carried on a roll 36 supported by a shaft 31, passes through feed rollers 38 and is rerolled on a spool 39 rotated by a shaft 40. Paper 4I is carried by a roll 42 supported by a spindle 43, passes through the feed rollers 38 parallel with the paper 35, over the printing plunger I6, under the opening II, and through a slot 44, whence it may be detached by the operator.

The feed rollers 38 have gears 45 in mesh one with the other, the lower of which is driven (Fig. 2) through an idler 45a by a gear 46 on'a shaft 41 to which is attached a bevel gear 49. A shaft 49 has, at its upper end, a gear 50 meshing with and driving the gear 48 and, at its lower end, a gear 5I meshing with and driven by a bevel gear The reroll shaft is also driven from the gear 52. The shaft 40 has a gear 60 driven by a gear 6I attached to a shaft 62 whichy also carries a bevel gear 63. A shaft 64 carries at its upper end and at its lower end carries a gear 86 meshing with and driven by the gear 52. A clutch connection between the gear 52 and the shaft I is such that movement in a clockwise direction, Fig. 2 (or counter-clockwise direction Figs. 3 and 4). will be ineffective to move the gear 52; b'ut movement of the shaft in the opposite direction will operate the feed rolls 38 and the reroll shaft 40. A

The foregoing describes many vof the essential parts of a device embodying the invention as nearly as possible in the order of their operation. A further detailed description of the device and of its operation will assist in understanding the invention of which the machine specifically illustrated in the ldrawings is an embodiment.

'I'his embodiment includes a base 10, which supports two side frame members 1|, spaced and secured by cross bars 12. 'I'he frame also includes a face plate 13. The operating shaft i is journalled in the frame members 1| The cam or locking disc 3 (Fig. 3) -is rigidly.

secured to the shaft I so that it is effective for holding the shaft against rotation. It includes a and lug 4, so as to limit the movement of the shaft I in both directions.

'I'he pawl 5 has a contractile spring 18 conl nected in such a manner that the spring holds the pawl against the periphery of the disc 3 until the pawl is moved by the link 9, when it holds the pawl out of engagement and against the lower arm of a stop lever 11 mounted on a pivot 18. Movement of the lever 11 is limited by a stop pin 19. 'I'he upper arm of the lever 11 is in the path of the lever 32. The arrangement is such that when the pawl.5 is moved to unlatch the shaft i, it strikes and rests against the lower arm of the lever 11 until the lever 32 is depressed by the plunger 33, when the lever 32 moves the lever 11 to snap the pawl back in engagement with the periphery of the disc 3.

Coin controlled mechanism including the slide 8 is not shown in detail since per se it is no part of this invention. It may be of any selected construction, forexample, that illustrated and described in Letters Patent No. 1,908,752 to Louis M. Hall. It is so arranged that a coin of proper size must be inserted in an aperture in the slide 3, in order to permit the slide to be moved to the extreme rear a suilicient distance to move the rod 1.

The connection between the slide 6 and the rod 1 is made by a lug 8| secured to and moving with the slide 6. The lug 8| is bored for sliding engagement with the rod 1 until it strikes a shoulder 82 on the outer end of the rod 1.

The lever 8 is a lever of the rst class, fulcrumed on a pivot 83, which is supported by the frame member 1 I A casing 84 for the machine includes an apron 84a, which has slots or openings and I2, and a slot 44. The opening permits access for writing on the'paper 4| when uncovered by the plate I0, vand the opening I2, vuncovered provides access to the plunger head 34 with, however, the paper 35 interposed. The slot 44 is arranged in the path of the paper 4|, which is ejected through it, and has a cutting edge 85, by which th'e operator may sever a recently printed portion of the paper.

A shelf 86 is rigidly secured to the two frame Iengaged by the bell-crank lever I9 (Fig. 2),

a gear meshing with and driving the gear 83 members 1| by screws 81, in a position below the paper 38 and 4| at the slot or opening and thereby serves as a support for the paper when an operator writes through the openingl I. 'I'he shelf 88 has an opening 88 into which the plunger 4 head 34 extends.

The levers I4 which move the slide I0 are mounted on pivots 89, each supported by a frame member 1|.

The printing mechanism includes cooperatively l0 `with the. plunger I8, an inked ribbon 90, and a series of printing wheels 9|. .The wheels 9| are rotated to correct position by gears 92 which are driven by a clock shaft 93. 'I'he clock mechanism and the printing wheels per se are no part of this invention. Such mechanism in satisfactory form is now available commercially and need not be shown in detail. The paperV 85 and 4| is fed between the ribbon and the plunger. vPreferably the paper 4| is coated with an impressionable material on its underside in order to impress the printing and writing on the paper 35, or other manifold means may be selected.

A counter, which may or may not be connected to printing wheels is indicated by the referencev 94, and has an operating lever 95, which is connected byV a link 86 to a crank 91 (Fig. 3) on the shaft I.

The ribbon is wound on spools 98 and a rewind device actuated by the bell-crank lever I9 (see Figs. 2 and 6). Each spool has a gear 99 in mesh with a gear 99a on a shaft |00. The shaft |00 has a toothed member or gear |0| actuated by a pawl |02. The pawl |02 is mounted on and movable by a lever |03 which is connected (Figs. 6 and 7) with and movable by a lever |04. I The lever |04 is mounted on a pivot |08 supported'by a frame member 1| The lower end of the lever |04 has a lug |06 positioned and adapted to be 40 wherefore movement of the bell-crank lever I9 operates the ribbon rewind mechanism.

A cup or receiver |01- is positioned below the slide 8 to receive coins used in operating the slide.

'I'he foregoing describes in detail the construction of a machine embodying my invention as illustrated in the drawings. A description of il operation of the machine will presently be mad\ The machine in normal condition and at the end 60 of an operation is in the position shown in the several figures. The cycle of operation includes two phases, the first in which the handle 2 is moved from back to front and in which the rock shaft I is moved in a counter-clockwise direction, Figs. 3 and 4 (clockwise direction Fig. 2), and a second phase in which the lever 2 and the shaft I are moved in the opposite direction from that of the first phase.

At the beginning of a cycle of operation the rock shaft I is locked as best shown in Fig. 3. A coin may then be inserted in the aperture 80 of the slide 6 and the slide moved inwardly so that the lug 8|, carried by the slide 8, contacts the shoulder 82 on the rod 1 and moves the lever 8 to retract the pawl 5. When the'lever 8, through the link 9, moves the pawl 5 from the position shown in Fig. 3, the outer end of the pawl 8 strikes the idling lever 11, moving it backward until it rests against the stop 19, and the spring 18 holds the pawl 5 in retracted position. When the pawl 5 is retracted the shaft is free to be moved by the crank 2. f

- After the unlatching operation just described the machine may be moved through its rst 25 lto phase, the rock shaft I moved in the direction shown by an adjacent arrow, Fig. 3, until the notch l in the disc 3 registers with the tooth 3l on the lever l2.` During this phase the shaft operates, through the cranks I5 and the levers I4, to move the plate I0 from front to back to uncover the openings II and I2. During the same phase the cranks 23 are moved to rock the bellcrank lever I9 and operate the plunger I6 to press the paper 35 and 4I against the printing wheels 9|. At the same time the bell-crank lever I9, engaging the lug I 06 on the lever |04, operates the ribbon rewind mechanism.

The movement of the shaft I during the first phase of the cycle is limited by the lug 4 on the disc 3 striking the abutment or bracket 15, in which position the tooth 3i is spring-pressed into the notch 30 of the disc 3. The mechanism is thereby latched until released against further operation.

At the end of the first phase, the operator may Write, through the opening Il, on the paper 4i, also duplicating on the paper 35. The table 83 provides a support for the paper beneath the opening. y

To unlatch the machine for movement during the second phase, the operator pressesl the plunger head 34 through the opening I2 and against the paper 35. Thereby the operators fingerprint is impressed upon the margin of the paper 35 which is properly treated to receive and record a fingerprint. Upon downward movement of the plunger 33 the tooth 3l is elevated and the handle 2 may be moved backward to rock the shaft I in a. clockwise direction, Figs. 3 and 4 icounter-clockwise direction Fig. 2), `in order to accomplish the second phase of the operation.

In moving the shaft during the second phase of the operation the shaft I, through clutch mechanism (Fig. 2), engages the gear 52 to operate the feed rolls 38 and the rewind shaft 40, to rewind the paper 35 on the roll 39 and to eject, through the slot 42, that portion of the paper 4I which has been printed by the wheels 9|, so that it may be detached by the operator.

When the plunger 33 is depressed, the lower end of the lever 32 is moved upwardly 'striking the upper end of the idler lever 'I'I and moving that lever so that its lower end presses the p'awl 5 toward the disc 3. At the end of the second phase of the cycle the shoulder 'I4 willagain rest against the abutment or bracket 15, the pawl 5 will rest against the lug 4 on the disc 3 and the machine will be latched against further operation until such operation is initiated by the insertion of a coin in the slide 6.

It will be clear from the foregoing description that'the invention accomplishes its objects and it will be obvious that various changes may be made in the details of construction, within the scope of the appended claims, without departing from the spirit of this invention.

Iclaim: g

1. In a device of the class described, an operating member, a pawl to engage and latch said member, a spring adapted to hold the pawl selectively in engaging and nonengaging position, coin-controlled mechanism to release said pawl, an idling lever, a second latch adapted to hold said operating member and when released to engage said lever and thereby move said pawl to operating position, and a lmanually operable plunger adapted to underlie a record sheet for operating said second latch. l

2. In a device of the class described, means for advancing a record strip during a phase of a, cycle of operation of the device, coin-controlled operating mechanism for completing said cycle, al latch for said mechanism, and amanually operable actuator adapted to underlie an impression sheet for releasing said latch, whereby operation of the actuator will require a fingerprint of the operator upon said sheet.

3. In a device of the class described, means for supporting a record sheet and a coupon sheet, coin-controlled operating mechanism for advancing said sheets, a latch for said mechanism, and a manually operable actuator for releasing said latch positioned beneath said record sheet, whereby operation of the actuator will require a fingerprint of the operator upon the record sheet.

4. In a device of the class described, means for supporting a paper roll, operating mechanism, printing mechanism for said paper operable by said operating mechanism during a rst phase of a cycle, means for latching the operating mechanism at the close of the cycle, coin-controlled mechanism for releasing said latching means, a second latch operable at the end of the first phase' of the operatingmechanism, means for advancing said paper operable'during a second phase of the cycle by said operating mechanism, and a manually operable actuator adapted to underlie said paper for releasing said second latch.

,5. In a device of the class described, means for supporting a paper roll, .operating mechanism, printing mechanism for said paper operable by said operating mechanism during a first phase of a cycle, means for latching the operating mechanism at the close of the cycle, coin-controlled mechanism for releasing said: latching means, a second latch operable at the end of the first phase of the operating mechanism, means for' advancing said paper operable during a second phase of the cycle by said operating mechanism, and a manually operable actuator for releasing said second latch adapted to underlie said paper whereby operation of the actuator will require a fingerprint of the operator upon the paper.

6. In a device of the class described, means for supporting a roll of coupon paper and a roll of manifold record paper, a cover plate having an opening for access to said paper for writing thereon, a slide for uncovering and closing said opening, a main operating rock shaft, connections between the shaft and the slide whereby the slide is moved to uncover the opening during a first phase of a cycle, a latch for securing the shaft at the end of the cycle, coin-controlled mechanism for releasing the latch, paper advancing mechanism connected to said rock shaft and opreleasing said second latch adapted to underlie the record paper whereby operation of the actuator will require a fingerprint of the operator upon the record paper.

'7. In a device of the class described, the combination comprising coin-controlled -operating mechanism, a manual control device for said mechanism, a manually operable actuator for said device, and means for guiding an impression sheet over said actuator whereby operation of the actuator will require a fingerprint of the operator upon said sheet. l

8. In a device of the class described, the combination comprising coin-controlled operating mechanism, a manual control device for said mechanism, a manually operable actuator for said device, means for guiding an impression sheet over said actuator whereby operation oi' the actuator will require a ngerprint of the operator upon said sheet, and means operable by said mechanism for advancing said sheet.

9. In e device of the dass described, the com-- bination comprising coin-controlled operating mechanism, a manual control device for said mechanism, a manually operable actuator for said device, means for guiding an impression sheet over said actuator whereby operation ofthe actuator will require a ngerprint of the operator upon said sheet, and a slide operable by said mechanism for providing access to said actuator.

10. In a device of the class described, the combination comprising coin-controlled operating mechanism, a manual control device' for said mechanism, a manually operable actuator for said device, and means for supporting and guiding a pair of superimposed sheets, said means being constructed and arranged in such a manner that the bottom sheet is positioned over said actuator and the top sheet is to one side of the actuator,

whereby operation of the actuator will permit and lil require a fingerprint of the operator upon the bottom sheet. v

BENJ D. KNOX. 

